In 1995, after a week spent in a cellar, two men emerged clutching the fruits of their labour – an album of ten guitar instrumentals of varying degrees of pottyness. Twenty-something years later, having re-discovered the original master tapes in the shed, I decided to reboot the album, replacing the original programmed drums with some proper, human groove, adding proper bass and a guest guitar solo or two, all courtesy of a cadre of fine and dedicated musicians.
Why? Because while I can still play, I can’t come close to what I was doing in 1995. This is partly because I took a good few years off, but primarily because of the Parkinson’s. Amongst its many delights are zapping fine muscle control, coordination, and making stressful situations a nightmare (and when I say stressful, I mean anything that releases a bit of adrenaline and cortisol. Instant wobble. Non-guitar friendly!). In the end, I thought it would be a fun idea to collaborate with some of the musicians I used to work with, as well as some that I trained back in the day.
The resulting music is not only fun to listen to (honest), it will also give you an idea of what I was once capable of, as well as subtly commenting on the modern way to music. And no, AI is not welcome here.
Ultimately, it’s an excuse for me (albeit younger, prettier and far more accomplished me) to duet with a bunch of fine musicians, while also raising awareness of young-onset Parkinson’s, and maybe a little money for Spotlight to boot.
The album may well be joined by a memoir-cum-manual in which I talk about my experiences as a musician, my theories on music and learning, and other stuff. A sort of extended liner notes quintuple gatefold edition.
